


Warm Welcome

by cruisingforcruiserweights



Category: Pro Wrestling, Professional Wrestling, World Wrestling Entertainment
Genre: FaceNeville, Fluff, HeelAustin, Hurt/Comfort, Kayfabe Compliant, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-23
Updated: 2017-12-11
Packaged: 2018-11-18 02:32:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,586
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11281926
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cruisingforcruiserweights/pseuds/cruisingforcruiserweights
Summary: Although Austin's debut in NXT didn't quite go how he'd planned, meeting Neville certainly made up for it.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Set the day Austin arrives at NXT. A gift for heelnev on tumblr for inspiring me to write more <3

Waiting backstage at Fullsail, before he was due to make his grand entrance at NXT, Austin Aries stood alone while many of his future colleagues conversed in groups of three or four, occasionally shooting him disdainful glances before continuing their discussions. 

He knew full well what they were thinking, that he had taken the spotlight that they felt belonged to them; the NXT homegrown talent, that he was already passed his prime and should have let a younger athlete get the push they believed had just been handed to him thanks to his ‘indie cred’.

Well too bad. He had worked too hard and for too long to get to this point, and he wasn’t going to let a bunch of bitter newbies still too green to have developed their own style yet stop him now. That ring was _his_ now, and tonight he was going to make them all choke on their spiteful words.

“Hey!” a voice rang out across the backstage area, cutting through the low mumblings of the NXT roster as the figure that Austin quickly recognised as Neville made his way over to him, gym bag slung over his shoulder and his hair tied back in a loose ponytail, having just arrived to prepare for his match with Balor in the main event.

“Finally, it took them long enough, didn’t it?” he said with a smile, moving in for an unexpected hug, which Austin returned a little apprehensively. Of course he knew _of_ Neville, but they had yet to have any interactions in person as far as he knew.

“I’m sorry, have we met before?…” he asked, peering over the top of his sunglasses at the other, causing Neville to smile sheepishly and stuff his hands back in the pockets of his jacket.

“Yeah, actually, I came to a few of your shows in Ring of Honour, but it’s fine if you don’t remember… You’re here now!” 

Ahh, so he was a _fan._ Austin thought, a smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth. Well wasn’t that just _adorable._

“Apologies, I do hope I didn’t embarrass myself back then.” If Neville had met him following a particularly tough match, there was a 50/50 chance that Austin had been wasted, so he hoped he had at least kept his hands to himself.

Neville shook his head, “No, you were great. I can’t wait to see what you do here, NXT is a great place.” Austin resolved to take the other’s word for it, perhaps the locker room would lay off the whispered taunts and insults once he’d shown them what a real superstar was capable of.

“Five minutes, Mr Aries.” a production assistant said as she approached them both, checking the microphone that was clipped to his jacket before hurrying off to attend to someone else.

“I’ll let you go, don’t want to spoil your big entrance.” Neville flashed him a grin, his little crush couldn’t have been more obvious if he’d had it written across his forehead. “But listen, me and Corey are going out for drinks later, if you’d like to come along to celebrate?” This kid certainly didn’t waste any time, Austin thought, but he liked people who saw what they wanted and took it…

“Now how could I say no to that?” 

Neville’s face brightened and he clapped the other on the shoulder gently, “Great! Good luck out there, oh, and if you need anything just let me know, okay?” he began to walk backwards a few steps, their eyes staying locked together even as he headed in the direction of the locker room.

“Sure…” Austin watched the other leave, chuckling softly as Neville almost tripped over a stray cable, too concerned as he was with Austin to notice it.

Well, things were definitely looking up, he thought as he made his way towards the ring, completely unaware of what was about to spoil his new-found good mood.

———

Austin had spent the minutes following the assault he had suffered at the hands of Baron Corbin running the gauntlet of overly attentive medical and panicking production staff as he stormed his way backstage, fuming with rage and humiliation at how disastrous his ‘big entrance’ had turned out to be and shoving them aside as they tried to hinder his progress backstage.

This was supposed to be his moment, the summation of everything he had achieved on the independent circuit, his arrival at the biggest promotion in their entire industry… burned to the ground for the purpose of Corbin’s crusade against William Regal.

He had fled the ring the moment the cameras were switched off, abandoning his ruined jacket and tattered shirt on the ramp, bright red welts and purple bruises already beginning to form across his chest and back. He refused to go to medical, he couldn’t bear to have to recount what had just happened. He either wanted to find Corbin and smash his head through a wall, or hole up in his hotel with several bottles of wine and try to forget that it had ever happened.

What he saw when he reached the waiting area, having finally managed to shake the human shaped insects desperately trying to convince him not to leave or sue anyone, was the lone figure of Neville, decked out in his ring attire and an expression of deep concern on his face. This was real concern, not the frantic self-serving concern of the security and production crew, desperate not to lose their jobs having failed to prevent Corbin from storming the ring and tossing him around like a ragdoll.

“Here…” He approached Austin, handing him a black shirt which he instantly recognised as one of his own, but an old design, and well worn too.

“Where did you find this?” he grunted, pulling it over his head, intent on talking about literally anything other than what had just transpired.

“Ah, it’s mine, actually… I usually wear it to the gym.” 

The shirt was tight in some places and loose in others, their physiques obviously being quite different from one another, but he was grateful for the gesture, especially as it meant that he would not have to enter the locker room with the many marks Corbin had given him on full display for the rest of the roster.

“I’m so sorry.” Neville blurted out suddenly, his brow furrowed in anger and frustration, “I was getting changed, and then Finn came in and told me what happened-“

“Why are you apologising?” Austin snapped irritably, “Unless you put him up to it, you’ve got nothing to be sorry for.”

“I would have tried to stop him though-“

“A guy that size? Come on, Neville, don’t be ridiculous.” he watched as the other averted his gaze, immediately regretting taking his frustration out on him, he had only wanted to help after all.

“Look…” he sighed, reaching out and placing a hand on Neville’s shoulder, his touch causing the other to lock eyes with him once more. “You know how you said I could come to you if I needed anything?”

“Of course, anything.” the other nodded vigorously.

“Well you know what would make me feel a lot better about what just happened?” he moved in, closing the distance between them until they were practically toe to toe.

“What…?” Neville’s face flushed a little, Austin able to feel the quickening of his heartbeat as he slid his hand down across the other’s chest slowly.

“If you come back to my hotel room with me.” he said with a playful smile.

Neville took a step back almost instantly, his gaze shifting to the ground and his arms crossing, instinctively building a wall between them. “Was it really that obvious?” he mumbled, “I’m sorry if I bothered you…”

Austin was confused at first, but by the nervous way he tugged on his hair and refused to make eye contact, he could tell that Neville thought he was joking, mocking him for his eagerness, his sexuality, or whatever else the bastards around here had put him through in the past to make him so self-concious. 

Austin wasn't like that, and he was determined to make the most of what little had actually gone right that day, and meeting Neville was certainly the only thing that had managed to make him _excited_ to work here.

Placing both hands on the other’s shoulders, Austin pushed him gently until his back hit the wall with a soft thud and Neville swallowed nervously. “Nice cape…” Austin noted with a smile, causing Neville to chuckle nervously at the acknowledgment of the part of his ring gear he had rather shamelessly pilfered from Aries.

“Listen.” he hissed softly, leaning in to whisper into his ear, his hands working their way down to the other’s hips. “Finish your match, ditch Graves and come see me, okay? Get a ride with Balor, he’s on the floor below me, I’m room 302.” 

“A-Are you sure?” Neville struggled to reply, his face now bright red and still wracked with aconsiderable amount of disbelief.

“Of course.” he said, stepping back and beginning to walk away as if nothing had happened. “Besides, you need to take this shirt off me at some point.” he flashed the other a smirk and turned around, leaving Neville to do his best to recover his composure before the match, his heart doing flips inside his chest as he tried not to let his excitement for what was to come get the better of him.


	2. Artwork

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Artwork courtesy of reinmeka on tumblr!


End file.
